Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sihanoukville: $942 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
Learn more

Sihanoukville Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$942

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sihanoukville and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sihanoukville and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $942 in Sihanoukville versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $942
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,416 in Sihanoukville versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $1,416
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,889 in Sihanoukville versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Sihanoukville $1,889
Phuket $2,822

Living in Sihanoukville costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sihanoukville 30% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.95 ៛16.0K

$4.35 ฿146

-9.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.44 ៛119.2K

$32.45 ฿1,091

-9.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 ៛28.7K

$8.42 ฿283

-15.80%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ៛9,209

$2.81 ฿94.4

-19.22%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ៛2,983

$0.87 ฿29.42

-14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ៛1,709

$0.46 ฿15.46

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,167

$2.59 ฿86.9

-60.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ៛7,971

$3.64 ฿123

-45.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ៛8,599

$1.71 ฿57.4

23.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ៛6,652

$1.45 ฿48.62

13.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ៛3,743

$1.56 ฿52.5

-41.03%

Eggs

$1.68 ៛6,820

$2.10 ฿70.6

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 ៛57.0K

$19.53 ฿656

-27.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ៛17.0K

$3.40 ฿114

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 ៛36.0K

$11.14 ฿375

-20.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ៛13.8K

$2.83 ฿95.2

20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ៛5,767

$1.62 ฿54.6

-12.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 ៛17.5K

$2.22 ฿74.8

94.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,255

$2.15 ฿72.2

-28.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ៛5,436

$1.49 ฿50.2

-10.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ៛4,813

$1.33 ฿44.59

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,674

$1.07 ฿35.87

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ៛2,907

$0.51 ฿17.08

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 ៛6,247

$4.38 ฿147

-64.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 ៛43.8K

$18.77 ฿631

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ៛3,722

$1.74 ฿58.5

-47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ៛6,820

$2.78 ฿93.3

-39.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿749

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ៛4,375

$3.02 ฿101

-64.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ៛4,004

$1.06 ฿35.57

-6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 ៛20.6K

$3.71 ฿125

36.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ៛5,069

$1.43 ฿48.08

-12.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.9K ៛141.5M

$26.3K ฿885.8K

32.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$43.5K ៛176.3M

$26.2K ฿881.0K

66.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$106 ៛428.3K

$96.7 ฿3,250

9.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.43 ៛26.0K

$11.41 ฿384

-43.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 ៛75.2K

$17.11 ฿575

8.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.4 ៛297.3K

$52.8 ฿1,775

39.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.02 ៛40.6K

$11.07 ฿372

-9.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 ៛20.2K

$7.65 ฿257

-34.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$338 ៛1.4M

$555 ฿18.7K

-39.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,118 ៛20.7M

$11.3K ฿379.3K

-54.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.25 ៛114.4K

$63.4 ฿2,132

-55.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.09 ៛81.4K

$28.61 ฿962

-29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 ៛364.6K

$96.7 ฿3,252

-6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.25 ៛82.0K

$88.6 ฿2,979

-77.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ៛1.6M

$735 ฿24.7K

-46.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ៛1.2M

$458 ฿15.4K

-33.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 ៛2.6M

$2,102 ฿70.7K

-69.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ៛2.0M

$1,187 ฿39.9K

-57.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿117.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

5.57

44.88%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sihanoukville

$304 32.8%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 50.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Sihanoukville

$238 25.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 12.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sihanoukville

$131 14.1%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 4.3% $5.6

Eating Out

Sihanoukville

$94 10.1%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 27% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sihanoukville

$83 9%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 18.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sihanoukville

$71 7.7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 74.9% $53

Getting Around

Sihanoukville

$6 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 552% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Sihanoukville and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Sihanoukville vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $268 per month, with Sihanoukville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

Same time as Sihanoukville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,036

79,308

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,050 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sihanoukville Phuket 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sihanoukville
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sihanoukville vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sihanoukville is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,413 in Sihanoukville and $1,785 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Sihanoukville versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $338 in Sihanoukville versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sihanoukville – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $942 in Sihanoukville versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sihanoukville but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sihanoukville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sihanoukville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sihanoukville and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sihanoukville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.